Alstom and Bahn test the first battery train in operation

The rail technology company Alstom and Deutsche Bahn (DB), in collaboration with the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, have launched the first battery-electric powered train. On January 24th, the trial run of the Battery Electric Multiple Unit (BEMU), Alstom's first fully approved battery train, will begin. DB operates the low-emission vehicle type with its regional transport subsidiary DB Regio in passenger service. The trial operation will run until early May 2022.

"Alternative drives are the future of mobility. With our comprehensive solutions, we enable sustainable rail transport in Germany," explains Müslüm Yakisan, President of the DACH Region at Alstom.

Since 2016, they have been working together on an efficient, cost-effective battery technology to bridge the non-electrified gaps in the German rail network. The trial run in passenger service is supposed to provide important real-world data and demonstrate that the battery train offers this solution, Yakisan continues.

"We want Deutsche Bahn to be climate-neutral by 2040. With the first battery train in customer service, we are now taking the next big step in regional transport towards an emission-free railway in Germany," added DB Regio Chief Jörg Sandvoß.

Since 2016, Alstom has been developing the battery-electric train together with TU Berlin, supported by the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Organization (NOW) and funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. It is seen as a potential sustainable successor for diesel trains in Germany. A total of 450 lines in the German rail network are still currently operated exclusively with diesel trains. Alternative drives are supposed to enable efficient and emission-free operations here. In the future, BEMU technology will be used on Alstom's Coradia platform.

In BaWü, charging also occurs during the journey, in Bavaria only at the station

On weekdays, the train will run on the Stuttgart - Horb route in Baden-Württemberg. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Pleinfeld - Gunzenhausen line in the Franconian Lake District will be serviced. This should, on the one hand, allow for the highest possible mileage of the train and, on the other hand, enable the testing of various route profiles and different battery charging scenarios. While in Baden-Württemberg charging occurs during the ongoing journey, in Bavaria charging can only be done at the electrified destination and departure stations because the track in between is not electrified. Besides DB as the operator, the Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (NVBW) and the Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) are associated project partners.

Hydrogen trains are optimized for long distances

While Alstom's hydrogen trains are optimized for long distances, the battery trains are suitable for short lines or routes with non-electrified sections that have so far been operated with diesel vehicles, differentiates the company. Direct connections between electrified and non-electrified network sections could now be operated emission-free and without the need for additional electrification, which reduces travel time between urban and rural areas, they argue further.